Growth From the Forest: Rewiring an Industrial Platform for Low-Carbon Demand

Oji Holdings, managing approximately 635,000 hectares of forests worldwide, is repositioning a 152-year industrial platform toward a forest-based circular bioeconomy as it adapts to shrinking paper demand and rising sustainability-driven markets.

- 

The company's journey began in 1873 under the guidance of Eiichi Shibusawa, the renowned industrialist now featured on Japan's ¥10,000 banknote.

From its earliest days, Oji collected discarded clothes as raw material for paper—an early recycling model that laid the foundation for its circular business approach. As paper demand surged, the company shifted from rags to wood as raw material and began producing wood pulp in 1889. Subsequently, it also engages in afforestation initiatives and expanded into Hokkaido in pursuit of vast forest resources.

That ethic of stewardship took root throughout the Oji Group more than a century ago when then-CEO Ginjiro Fujiwara declared that “those who use trees have the responsibility to plant trees.” This principle of reforestation became a defining part of Oji’s identity, well before today’s global push toward nature-positive business.

“We are harvesting the trees, but we are also planting the trees—from more than 100 years,” said Hiroyuki Isono, President and CEO of Oji Holdings. His observation highlights how the company’s business model was built on resource renewal rather than simple extraction. By treating forests not only as a raw material but also as an asset to be maintained for future generations, Oji has long contributed to climate resilience, biodiversity, and the circular economy. This longstanding philosophy gives the group credibility as it seeks to transition from traditional paper production to new bio-based industries, providing investors with a rare example of continuity between heritage and future growth.

From Communication Papers to Growth Packaging